By John Stang
The California state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would allow Pacific Gas & Electric to charge its ratepayers to retain personnel at its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
The bill, which passed the Senate by vote of 31-4, is now in the California General Assembly.
“This community has borne the risk of having a nuclear power plant in its backyard, and it is imperative that those with the proper expertise and training are retained until the plant shuts down,” Sen. Bill Monning (D), who sponsored the legislation, said in a prepared statement.
The measure would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve previously rejected parts of a 2016 agreement between PG&E and partnering labor and environmental organizations to close Diablo Canyon by 2025 in favor of other greenhouse-gas free energy forms.
Specifically, CPUC would be required to approve a PG&E request to raise $85 million from ratepayers to offset the loss of tax money to schools and other public entities after the San Luis Obispo County plant closes. The commission would also be required to allow the utility to collect another $100 million to retain its workers through closure.
“PG&E shareholders would bear no out-of-pocket costs, as these would be borne entirely by the utility’s ratepayers – whether they are in Fresno, Humboldt, or San Luis Obispo,” according to a Senate staff analysis memo.
The commission in January signed off on much of the “Joint Proposal” to shut down Diablo Canyon reactor Unit 1 in 2024 and Unit 2 in 2025, rather than renewing their U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating licenses. However, it did not authorize the full $350 million proposed for employee retention and zeroed out all community impact assistance. At the time, CPUC Chairman Michael Picker said utility fees should be used for utility services, rather than government services.
Separately, the PG&E-formed Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel held its first meeting Wednesday in San Luis Obispo County. The 11-member panel is intended to “foster open and transparent dialogue between members of the local community and PG&E” on decommissioning of Diablo Canyon, according to the utility.
The meeting was largely introductory between panel members and outside organizations. The panel’s next meeting will be on June 27.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Tom Jones, PG&E’s director of strategic initiatives, said a seven-year notice is the longest ever for any reactor to prepare for a shutdown.
